I can't wait to see what's going to be happening in Chicago theater at least in the first month of January.
Drury Lane-Oakbrook
Spamalot
Will run has started in previews December 30th though January 5th and open January 6th though March 6th.
This show which originated in Chicago went on to win the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical and voted Outstanding Musical of 973 AD, Monty Python's SPAMALOT is the outrageous new musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic "Monty Python and The Holy Grail." SPAMALOT tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail. Flying cows, killer rabbits, taunting Frenchman and show-stopping musical numbers are just a few of the reasons audiences everywhere are eating up SPAMALOT.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
As You Like It
which will open January 5th and run though March 6th with a cast featuring Chicago favorites Kate Fry, Kevin Gudahl, Ross Lehman, Patrick Clear, Elizabeth Ledo, Dennis Kelly and directed by Gary Griffin this should be a great production about transformed identify all for the sake of love.
Theater Wit
The Elephant Man
Which will open January 7th and run though February 6th
The play about real life events involving misshapen stunted John Merrick and the doctor that attempts to help him while studying his unusual deformity is a well known Tony , Obie, Drama Drama Desk, and New York Drama Critics Circle Award winning play that has been made into an Academy Award Nominated film.
Northlight
Eclipsed
Which will open January 13th and run though February 20th
Amid the wreckage of the Liberian civil war, the "wives" of a rebel officer band together to form a fragile community - until the balance of their lives is upset by the arrival of two newcomers and the return of a former "wife" directed by Hallie Gordon.
http://www.northlight.org/pages/on_stage/143.php
Court Theatre
Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women
Which will open January 13th thru February 13th
While Steppenwolf is enjoying a success with "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" Court is presenting Edward Albee's most personal play about the three women in his life played by an outstanding cast of Lois Markle, Mary Beth Fisher, and Maura Kidwell and directed by Charles Newall.
http://www.courttheatre.org/season/show/three_tall_women/
Shattered Globe Theatre
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
Which will open in Previews January 13 though January 15th and then for a full run January 16th thu February 27th.
This Tony Award winning play filled with biting humor and unforgettable characters, tells the story of Maureen, a sardonic 40-year-old Irishwoman, whose brash exterior masks an uncertain past. Embittered by years of servitude under her demanding mother, Maureen unexpectedly crosses paths with a man from her girlhood, who sparks the hope of escape and unleashes a series of events that disrupts the rural tranquility of County Connemara.
http://www.shatteredglobe.org/
Jedlicka Performing Arts Center
Grey Gardens
Which will open January 14th and run though January 29th 2011.
This is the fascinating, true story of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s cousin and Aunt who lived together for decades in a decaying estate in East Hampton, New York. Their story has been told in an acclaimed 1976 cult classic documentary film, which was turned into a Tony Award winning musical and also remade in 2009 as an HBO film starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange.
The Goodman Theatre
The Trinity River Plays
Which will preview January 15th though the 23rd and open January 24th and run though February 20th.
In one evening of three timeless works, acclaimed Chicago playwright Regina Taylor's powerful new trilogy (Jar Fly, Rain and Ghoststory) explores the unique passages in one woman's life journey. In Jar Fly, a teenaged Iris Spears teeters on the brink of maturity when an event shatters her innocence—and changes her life forever. In Rain, a 34-year-old Iris flees a collapsing marriage to return home to Texas and the comfort of her mother's embrace, only to find that the once-solid ground has shifted beneath her feet. And in Ghoststory, a surprise visit from her estranged husband forces Iris to confront the past and the ghosts that have continued to haunt her. The trilogy is inspired by the rhythm of the cicada—a part of Iris' young life in the south—the insect that emerges every 17 years to take wing.
http://www.goodmantheatre.org/
Broadway in Chicago
9 to 5: The Musical
Which will run January 18th and January 30th 2011.
Based on the classic film the stage adaptation is a hilarious story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. This is the story of three unlikely friends who conspire to take control of their company and learn there's nothing they can't do. The National Tour stars Diana DeGarmo 1st runner up on the 3rd season of American Idol and 3 time Tony Award Nominated Actress Dee Hoty.
Steppenwolf Theatre
Sex with Strangers
Which will preview though January 20th though the 29th and then open the 30th though 15th.
Ethan is a hot young writer whose online journals of "sexcapades" are the buzz of the blogosphere. Olivia is an attractive 30-something whose own writing career is fizzling. They hook up, sex turns into dating and dating into something more complicated. A break-out hit at Steppenwolf’s 2009 First Look Repertory, Sex with Strangers explores how we invent our identity – online and off – and what happens when our private lives become public domain.
Profiles Theatre
Reasons To Be Pretty
Will preview January 21st though Jabuary 26th and then open January 27th though March 13th.
As additional to their evening with Neil LaBute Profiles and Steppenwof Rick Snyder is staging his play about a man Greg’s tight-knit social circle who are thrown into turmoil when his offhand remarks about a female coworker’s pretty face and his own girlfriend Steph’s lack thereof get back to Steph. This play asks the question How much is pretty worth?
http://www.profilestheatre.org/
Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire
Guys & Dolls
Will preview January 26th though 30th and open February 2nd though March 27th.
Bringing to life the Broadway fantasy world of high rollers, loveable lowlifes, and Salvation Army soul savers, GUYS AND DOLLS takes you to a time when "guys was guys and girls was dolls." With thrilling dance and a timeless score including "Luck Be a Lady," Sit Down Your Rocking the Boat," and "I'll Know" this brassy classic will make your heart sing, your soul soar, and your belly laugh. You can bet on that.
www.marriotttheatre.comChicago Dramatists
Bordello
Previews January 27th and opens February 4th though March 6th
Sixty miles outside Las Vegas today, sex is for sale in state licensed bordellos, where almost any fantasy can be accommodated for the right price. Set on "Customer Appreciation Night", Bordello shines a light on the working girls, their dreams and ambitions, and everything that gets in the way.
www.chicagodramatists.orgNow of course these aren't all the shows that are opening in this month. Chicago has a theatrical event opening up every minute (almost.) but these were just a few I noticed and wanted to point out with more to come.
StevenD
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